Serendipity
by phelipa
Summary: Serendipity: Finding fortunate situations through accidents. Luka and Abby are caught up in a very surprising situation CHAPTER ONE REPOSTED WITH CORRECTIONS
1. Coping

**AN: This is my First ER fic. I called it serendipity because it means "the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident." Obviously Abby finding out she was pregnant was a "fortunate discovery" so to speak, and I'm pretty sure it was an accident ;). Anyways, this is a first attempt, tell me what you think and if I should continue or not! Thanks!**

**REPOSTED January 19, 2006**

**ADDED: Ok, I read all the reviews! Thanks so much guys. I've taken your advice into account and changed a few things, the purchases (I still left in a few just cuz I felt like it ;)), the print outs the spelling and verb tenses. You can re read it if you want, it's pretty much the same. As for the name: oops! Didn't realize someone had already used it, I'm pretty new to the ER fanfic. Thanks so much for all the advice!**

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Serendipity: An Abby/Luka fanfiction

Chapter 1: Coping

My stomach was doing back flips as I walked briskly to Dr. Janet Coburn's OB clinic on 35th street. The chilly air nipped angrily at my face but it didn't bother me in the least. I was already too numb to feel anything else. I wasn't sure that Luka even understood, but then again maybe he understood best of all.

I was terrified that he had essentially left the decision up to me. Though he had told me he wanted nothing more than to have a baby with me, he had also instructed me to do what I felt was right. Even as I made my way up to the clinic I wasn't sure what right was…

I pushed the door open and quickly found a vacant seat next to a woman clutching a young baby. I threw her a timid smile as I sat down. I glanced around and saw women at various stages in their pregnancies. Some, like me, bore expressions of confusion and I was certain they too were making the decision I was about to make. Others looked radiant, with expanding bellies looming precariously in their laps. I felt my heart squeeze as I watched a group of small children playing. I could have that; I could love one of those.

I had to laugh at myself, it was funny how I could consider having a child. I worked crazy hours, so did Luka. We'd hardly even see the baby! But then again, Luka and I had done this and I wasn't really getting any younger here. Thirty seven, if I wanted to have a child now was be the time. I gently touched my abdomen. It felt swollen and stiff, it felt different. It was hard to imagine that a human being was growing there, that a tiny baby could come out of me! I felt a strange connection to this little ball of cells and I knew, I just knew. Perhaps I wouldn't be the best mother, but Luka would be there to help me. I couldn't give up this little being. I would become a mother.

A voice broke through my thoughts, "Abigail Lockhart."

I stood up, my legs trembling, this was it. It was now or never and I had decided. I was keeping this child, I was having this baby.

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45 minutes later, I left the clinic clutching an appointment card and vitamins. I wasn't ready to go home yet; I wasn't ready to face Luka's excitement. I wandered casually to a quiet part of Chicago and looked out over the water that lapped lazily at the banks.

Though part of me was hesitant I knew I had made the right decision. I moved closer to the water and strolled through the sand. It was chilly and the water was a deep blue, raging across the horizon. I tightened my arms around my chest as a cold wind blew and I thought about what I'd done. In seven months I'd be holding a baby. I'd have to forget about anything that concerned me and take care of this new baby.

In some ways I was excited, this baby would be something that I would love unconditionally and that would love me in return. In other ways I was terrified, what if I was wrong? What if I couldn't take care of this baby, what if I can't love it right? What if I couldn't be a mother?

I trekked upwards, away from the water and settled myself on a bench. I watched as people passed me by without a second glance. It troubled me that I had just made the most important decision of my life and no one seemed to notice. I sat quietly and gazed out over the water, fiddling absently with the items in my hands. I'd have to change, I'd have to eat healthy, exercise more, the works.

My thoughts were broken as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked up to see Luka standing behind me. His expression hid what he was feeling as he tried to talk to me. He tried to tell me what I had done was ok. For a moment I was confused, and then I caught on,

"Luka, I couldn't do it. I want us to have this baby."

It was as though I'd told him he'd won the lottery. His face lit up and he sat down next to me, wrapping me in a giant hug. I couldn't help but smile as I saw how happy I had made him.

I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek as he finally spoke,

"Abby, you have no idea how happy you've made me."

I smiled then shrugged, "I don't know Luka. I'm pretty happy myself."

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I sat at the kitchen counter toying with the phone cord and waiting for my pizza to be delivered. Once again I was awake, and starving. Leaning back in the chair, I smiled as I looked around the room. Maybe screwing in the back room of a baby department store but look what it had gotten me, a bassinet, a few maternity tops. Hey it was early but I'd need them eventually. I tapped the table lightly with my index finger; so far this pregnancy hadn't been bad at all. Heck, if it stayed like this pregnancy wouldn't be half bad.

I'd gotten a lot to think about in the past few days. The baby for example, could become babies! For goodness sakes I was not ready for twins. I wasn't even ready for one baby! And hiding the baby from other people, it would become hard, especially when I started to gain weight. I poked my stomach, it was bumpyish. Janet had said I was likely 10 weeks pregnant and that in 2 weeks I could come in for an ultrasound. That would be exciting, that would make it re…

A knock broke through my thoughts. I hurried to the door, expecting to find a pizza man but finding a red eyed, dripping Neela. She looked as though she'd been crying and rain dripped from her hair to her shoulders. I ushered her in quickly, not thinking. The minute I ushered her in, I froze.

_Oh…crap…baby stuff._

Neela turned to me, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You…you and Kovac? Oh, you are kidding me."

She sank wearily into one of the kitchen chairs while I squeaked,

"Neela, what are you doing here?"

She looked miserable, "I couldn't find you at your apartment so I came here. It's pretty obvious you and Kovac have a thing. Though I can't say I expected to find…well to find this!"

I sank into the chair across from her and buried my head in my hands, "Neela you weren't supposed to know. Not now at least."

She nodded, zipping her lips to indicate she could keep the secret. I rose again at a second knock and retrieved my pizza, offering it to Neela before I took my own slice.

"So Neela," I said around a mouthful "What are you doing here?"

She suddenly looked tearful again, "It's Micheal, he…he wants to go back. He wants to go back to Iraq."

I wouldn't have been more surprised if she had hit me over the head with a frying pan. "What! I thought you were married, I thought he'd said it was over!"

She was nodding, a lone tear slipped down her cheek "He did, but he can't help it. He wants to go back."

I squeezed her shoulder gently "Oh Neela, I'm sorry."

She nodded and managed to smile, "So you and Kovac huh?"

I felt my cheeks flush a deep purple as I nodded.

"A baby too?"

As she finished her sentence Luka walked into the kitchen in pajamas,

"Neela…um Hi. I think…I'll just go back…ok" He turned and left.

I let a small chuckle escape and noticed Neela was trying to contain her laughter. "You and Kovac." She mused as she stood up

"Anyways I better go, I have to talk to Micheal, thanks for listening."

I gave her a gentle hug and ushered her to the door, bidding her good luck.

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I returned to the bedroom and slipped in beside Luka. He turned over,

"Neela knows?"

I nodded and held out the pizza, "Want some?"

He took some and I settled myself against his chest as he ate. "Luka, what are we going to do with a baby?"

He shrugged, "What do you want to do with it? It's a baby."

I punched him lightly, "You know what I meant Luka."

"Well, you take care of it. You can't do much with it until it grows up. You just make sure it's happy and healthy."

I sighed, what if I couldn't do that? I wasn't nurturing, I wasn't loving…I couldn't be a mother. I turned away from Luka and pulled the covers up to my chin. I felt him push his body against mine and drape his arm over my shoulder. I intertwined my fingers with his and settled into bed trying to fall asleep.

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**TBC?**


	2. Truth, Family and other lies

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews I really appreciate them! Sorry about the wait too, I'm just finishing up exams. I made some small adjustments in the last chapter, Luka's name and the heartbeat reading…did some research and you can't read that until the 15th week of pregnancy. Anyways, enjoy the new chap and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. BTW can someone tell me where Abby grew up as a child?**

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Chapter 2: Truth, Family and other lies.

I sat at the kitchen table toying with the final waffle on my plate. Sure I'd already had two, but what was one more? It was just a waffle. Letting my desire win over my common sense, I quickly downed the third waffle. I happened to glance up and saw Luka staring at me. I swallowed quickly before speaking,

"What Luka?"

He smiled, though it appeared to me he was trying to hide a smirk, "Nothing, just never thought I'd see you eat like that."

I glared at him but decided to ignore his comment. Then he decided he wasn't finished,

"Abby, when are you going to tell your mother?"

"When are you going to tell your mother?" I shot back at him.

He gave me a sideways glance, "Abby, we already discussed this. I told you I called them a few days ago, they were thrilled."

I sighed heavily, so much for ammunition.

"I don't know, she doesn't really need to know does she? It's not like I see her that often."

Luka shook his head. "Abby, you're her daughter."

I shrugged, "Fine if it means so much to you then I'll tell her later."

"When later?" was his quick reply.

"At her funeral?" I supplied hopefully.

He moaned, "Abby, you're as bad as a child!"

"Fine, I'll call her this week. Later this week." I replied, knowing full well that wasn't going to happen.

It wasn't necessarily that I didn't want to talk to her, it was just that every interaction I held with her reminded me of the fact that my child could inherit her "disorder". I felt a lump of fear rise in my throat and shoved it down with another bite of waffle, Luka didn't need to know, and he wasn't ready to know. Not yet.

I rose from the table and cleared my plate, leaving it in the sink. Luka seemed to sense something was wrong and he backed off, leaving me to my thoughts.

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I set out the suture kit beside the gurney. My patient, a five year old girl named Samantha, pouted when she saw the needle. Her lower lip trembled as I pulled on my gloves.

"Samantha, it's ok. It'll only be a little pinch then it will all be over."

I inserted the needle and she began to whimper. Her mother clasped her hand and I tried to put on a sing song voice.

"So Sammy, what's your favorite animal?" I asked gently.

"Ponies." She said quietly.

I tried to keep up a steady chit chat with her and soon, I had finished and she was laughing and talking again.

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a doctor like you!" She said when I finished.

I smiled. "And when you're a doctor I'll come be your first patient."

She looked happy with the arrangement, "Ok now Samantha, I don't want to see any more cuts on you ok? No more playground accidents!"

She nodded solemnly and her mother thanked me, then they left.

I pulled off my gloves and smiled to myself, maybe having a girl wouldn't be so bad.

I turned as I heard Jerry call my name,

"Abby! Line two, it's your mother."

My heart stopped cold, my mother! Why on earth would my mother be calling! As I made my way to the desk I saw Luka standing close by in the reception area. If he had anything to do with this…Suddenly a thought hit me, he'd told her about the baby. I picked up the phone, my hands trembling.

"Hey Maggie, I was just going to call you." My voice came out shakier than I excepted but why avoid the truth now?

I went on slowly, "Maggie, I have some new…"

She interrupted me abruptly, "Abby, listen to me. I have some bad news."

Bad news, ok couldn't be the baby. I breathed a sigh of relief that lasted only a moment.

"Abby, it's Eric. He passed away this morning. He was hit by a drunk driver last night."

I felt as though someone had punched me in the stomach. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak.

"Abby?" She questioned, her voice trembled, something I'd heard rarely from her.

"Mom, I'm here." A breathiness that I hadn't expected came out in my voice. Eric was dead, he was gone.

Luka was looking at me questioningly but I ignored him expertly.

"Abby, the funeral's in two days. I know you'll want to be there. Will you? Will you come up to see him?" I could hear the tears in her voice and the way she spoke made my throat burn.

"I'll be there." I responded mutely.

She sounded as though she was trying to pull herself together, "You said you had news Abby?"

"Yeah," I replied monotonously, "I'm pregnant."

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I hung up the phone and watched in wonder as my hand trembled, it had never done that before. I turned to face Luka, my face pale. The world was spinning dangerously and I stumbled, but he was there to catch me.

His arms wrapped around my waist as he pulled me back to my feet. I heard him say something to Jerry about going home and then he was leading me out of the ER. I was silent as we drove home and Luka didn't bother me. He pulled into the driveway and escorted me out of the car into the house.

As soon as we made it into the house I broke down. I cried like a child, tears pouring down my face, choking sobs tearing at my throat. Luka held me tightly, rubbing my back as I drowned his shirt in my tears. He murmured softly in my ear and I realized he was humming softly. I quieted my sobs so I could hear but he was humming so quietly even that didn't help.

He sat with me and waited for me to finish. When finally my cries had subsided, he kissed my cheek,

"Abby?"

I licked my lips, wiping away the salty taste of tears before beginning.

"Luka, compared to what I know, you know nothing about my family."

He looked confused but didn't comment.

"My mother and my brother are both bipolar. My mother has been ever since I can remember but Eric developed it after he came back from the Air Force. Inevitably it was in his genes.

Luka, you have no idea what it's like to live with a bipolar mother. I had to take care of Eric when she was locked in her room, she wasn't his mother. I was. Then when he developed it…I couldn't believe it. He'd always been so happy, so loving. Even with Maggie.

He died this morning. Hit by a drunk driver, they couldn't do anything for him."

Luka let out a soft noise and I felt the tears rise again.

"You know, in some ways I'm glad he went this way. I'm glad he didn't…"

Luka pulled me in tighter "I know, I know."

I looked up at him, my eyes marked with fear, "Luka, what if the baby… what if the baby gets it?"

He smoother my hair back with his fingers, "It's ok. We'll love it just the same; we'll love it even harder."

He let his hand move down to my belly and wiggled his fingers over it as if he were waving at the baby. I let out a strangled laugh and put my hand over his, pressing it into my belly.

"How's your mom?" He asked gently.

"She sounds like she's ok, but I'm praying someone's with her."

He smiled, "How'd she take our news?"

I gave a weak smile, "Oh she's happy, thrilled more like it."

Luka hugged me again, "Good, that's good."

I turned solemn again. "Luka, I'm going to the funeral. I want to leave soon. It's the day after tomorrow."

He nodded, "I'm coming with you."

Somehow I had expected that. I just gripped his hand and nodded, "What were you humming?" I asked quietly.

He was quiet for a long time, but finally murmured, "Gorecki, I used to sing it to Danijela when she was upset. It calmed her and I thought maybe it would help you.

I kissed the squared edge of his jaw but didn't know what to say, so I stayed quiet. I knew, however, that there was a lot more to his story than what he was telling me.

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Fighting against one of my two black dresses I heaved a sigh and fell onto the bed.

"I give up." I said wearily, throwing the dress to the corner of the room.

Luka wandered in, but stopped as he saw me lying in only a bra on the bed, reading what to expect when you're expecting. "Abby?" he questioned gently.

I turned, "What Luka?"

He sat down next to me, "Are you packed yet?"

I dropped the book, "Did you know that at eleven weeks, that's us, the baby's 4 cm long? We can see if it's a boy or girl in a few weeks."

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Abby, I know it's hard but we need to go soon if we want to get to the hotel on time."

I chewed the inside of my cheek, "No, I don't fit in any of my clothes."

I saw the edge of his mouth turn up in a smile and felt a strong urge to smack it right off, but restrained myself.

He stood up and walked into the closet, pulling out several black or dark dresses. After trying them on I successfully fit into one dress. It was decent, knee length with a slightly plunging neckline but it wasn't too revealing. The only thing that bothered me was the slight bulge at the waistline. I turned and stood in front of the mirror, rubbing my belly with my right hand. Luka came up behind me and slipped his hands around my waist.

"That's our baby, Abby." He murmured rubbing his hand over mine.

I couldn't help but smile slightly as I thought about the baby, though it was frustrating not to be able to fit into my old clothes I couldn't forget the excitement I felt about the coming child.

Shedding the dress, I folded it and put it into the suitcase with my other clothes. Luka was already packed so he loaded our things into his car while I made a trip to the bathroom, lately I'd had to pee all the time.

I came out a few minutes later, locked the door and climbed into the car beside Luka. He smiled and reached over for my hand. I gave it to him and he squeezed gently. "It'll be ok."

I managed to smile back and silently prayed that he was right.

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**TBC…**


	3. Pain

**AN: Hey everyone, sorry it took so long, just finishing exams. Anyways, this was also a pretty long chapter. Read and review and ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ER or characters affiliated with it**

**REPOSTED WITH CORRECTIONS ON February 24, 2006**

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Chapter 3: Pain

I pulled on a black pantsuit, with a deep blue tank top underneath it. The dress lay forgotten in the corner; I had deemed it too uncomfortable and stuffy. Luka was in the bathroom finishing his tie; he was wearing a dark suit that made him look, though the timing might have been inappropriate, incredibly handsome.

I wandered absently into the bathroom, applying makeup delicately. My mind was hazy with a thick cloud of dread, I didn't want to go to the funeral, I didn't want to cry, and I didn't want to be here.

Luka was putting on his shoes as I joined him on the bed. He slipped his hand around my waist,

"Ready?"

I didn't answer right away, but after a moments deliberation I nodded subtly. Luka must have picked up on it because he got me my coat and purse and guided me out of the room, down to the lobby and out to the car.

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I stood before the coffin, looking at Eric's now lifeless features. It shouldn't have shocked me; how still he would be. I was used to seeing it in the ER. What I hadn't bargained on was how different it was when it was someone you knew.

I kissed my hand softly and touched it to Eric's cold cheek,

"Goodnight baby brother." I murmured softly.

I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes and blinked furiously. I turned away and walked side by side with Luka to our seats.

I sat next to Maggie, whose cheeks were flushed with tear stains and emotion. My back stiffened as I sat down. I wasn't used to emotion, I didn't like public displays. Luka saw me stiffen and reached across and squeezed my hand gently. When I looked at him he smiled gently and I felt myself calm, Luka had that effect on me.

As the funeral proceeded, I grew all the more teary until finally I gave in and allowed the tears to fall. They burned hot trails down my cheeks and I swiped at them with a trembling hand. Luka was careful not to look at me for he knew how hard this was for me, but he kept his hand over mine, a constant reminder he was there for me.

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I stared out the tinted window, my expression painfully blank. The funeral had been horrible. I wasn't used to expressing such emotion and knowing that Luka had already seen me in tears the day before was frustrating. The confrontation with Maggie had been even worse; she'd wanted to know all about the baby and Luka. Frankly I wasn't ready to do that.

Luka sat beside me in the car, his hand resting on my lower thigh. For some reason I felt the strongest desire to push it away. I sighed and repositioned myself so his hand fell away, then went back to staring out the window.

He had been sweet and understanding but I knew that the funeral had brought back horrible memories of his own family's death. Maggie had been distressed and the rest of the family had been in tears. I had been the only one to maintain a semi stony silence throughout the entire procession. The burial had been even worse and I hadn't been able to contain myself, I'd wept openly once again.

Here in the car though, I maintained the same stoic expression I'd carried at the funeral. Luka kept throwing confused glances my way but I deflected them wearily. As we pulled up in front of the hotel I allowed Luka to escort me out of the car and into our room. I pulled the suit off quickly, throwing it to the floor and climbed into flannel pajama pants and a tank top.

I slipped beneath the covers of the bed and pressed my body up against Luka's. Rubbing his chest with my hands I moved over his body. He reached around my shoulders and for a moment I thought he was going to pull me closer. Instead he pushed me off of himself.

"Abby." He said; his voice forbidding.

I tried again, but he moved away, "Abby, don't." he said firmly, "You're in pain, you're trying to cope. Not tonight."

I hit him, hard, on the chest and threw off the covers, storming to the side of the room.

"Wow Luka, so supportive, when it comes to what I want, you don't give a damn!"

He knew better than to fuel the fire with words so he remained silent, letting me release my pent up anger and frustration. I stormed about, swearing a blue streak and mouthing off. Finally I sank into a chair on the opposing side of the room. Luka watched as I turned to face the other way.

The more I sat, and the more I thought, I released I had been doing the wrong thing, he'd pushed me away to protect me. The more I considered it, the guiltier I felt. After a few mere moments I stood up and watched to the bed, my back stiff. He offered me a hand as I climbed into bed, but I disregarded it, pulling the covers up and snuggling close to his warm body.

"Thanks Luka."

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The week after the funeral I fell deep into a catatonic state, I couldn't sleep, I ate rarely, I couldn't drink and I couldn't focus. I could see the worry in Luka's eyes but he knew better than to say anything. I knew what worried him most was my hospital performance, only a day previous I had nearly killed a patient and been sent home.

They'd given me a week off work, knowing I wouldn't be able to function. I'd ignored Luka for the past few days and I'd taken to locking myself in the bedroom and lying in bed, staring at the wall. I was always tired but could never sleep. I hadn't gotten dressed either; I lay around the house in pajamas and tried to wipe Eric's lifeless face out of my mind.

It also worried me that I had been like Eric's mother. I had been his mother. Maggie hadn't been present so I had taken over the role of mother. I wondered briefly if I had had something to do with his death and whether the way I brought my child up would lead them to their death.

I hugged a pillow close and closed my eyes. I'd cried so much my eyes were dry; I had no more tears to shed. I rubbed my belly and my lower lip trembled. I wasn't ready, I couldn't deal with this. I felt alone and scared. No matter how close Luka got, he would never be Eric.

I traced the outline of the pillow pattern with my finger. Life really sucked, it had to suck to take someone as young as Eric. It was hard to believe he'd lived through the air force only to die in a car accident. I knew that car accidents claimed more lives than airplane accidents but still…you never really think it'll happen to someone you know. Never.

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I lay on the couch, musing. My stomach had been a little off and I'd begun to feel achy, the pregnancy wasn't all fun and games anymore. I pulled the quilt from the couch over myself and tried to get comfortable.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Luka enter the room. I sat up and allowed to sit down, when he had settled himself on the couch I lay my head down in his lap. He reached out and stroked my hair back with his hand. The motion soothed me and my eyelids drooped. I let them fall, knowing full well this was the first I'd slept in at least 24 hours. His hands worked through my hair and down my back, washing away my angry feelings and driving me into a deep sleep.

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When I woke again, I was in our bed; Luka must have carried me up after I had fallen asleep. I was breathing heavily and my mind raced, it'd been a dream. I'd dreamt I was in the car with Eric, I'd dreamt I saw him die. Suddenly the tears were back and streaming down my face. I felt Luka shift but he didn't wake. As I sobbed a dull pain shot through my back. I ignored it and tried to stem the flowing tears.

Then I felt it again, a sharp pain drove its way through my abdomen, leaving me nauseous and dizzy. As I shifted I felt the sheets were damp beneath me. Standing up I looked at the bed and felt my face drain of color as I saw a deep crimson stain on the sheets, it wasn't big but it was enough to scare me.

I saw Luka turn in bed and he must have seen how pale and tearful I was because the next moment he was up on his feet next to me.

"Abby? Abby! What is it?"

My voice trembled, "The baby…I'm bleeding."

I looked down and noted that my pajama bottoms were stained with the same deep crimson color that was on the sheets.

I heard Luka swear and watched unconsciously as he grabbed my coat and his, tossed his on, helped me into mine then slipped on his shoes.

The moment I went to move, my knees buckled and I would have fallen had Luka not been there to catch me. He slipped his arm beneath my knees and in one smooth movement lifted me up and carried me out to the car.

He settled me in and climbed in himself then tore away from the parking lot.

I reached out quietly for his hand, for any reassurance he had to give. He took my hand in his and squeezed it firmly; trying to tell me it would be ok.

My mind had flown from Eric to the baby. I was bleeding, didn't that mean a miscarriage? Didn't that mean death?

When we arrived at the ER, he picked me up again and carried me into the reception area, "Jerry! I need a doctor!" he yelled as we entered.

My eyes swam, but I saw Sam and Neela run towards us with a gurney then heard Neela yell,

"Jerry, page Dr. Janet Coburn, she should be in the hospital."

Luka lowered me onto the gurney and Sam pushed me behind a curtain. I barely felt Neela remove my clothes and change me into a hospital gown.

I could feel Luka's hand over mine and I could hear anxious voices. I wanted to cry, scream, sob…but I couldn't do anything. I was too scared. My chest felt heavy as I took in each breath and my grip on Luka's hand tightened. He leaned near my and I could feel his hot breath on my cheek as he whispered in my ear. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was saying.

Neela was doing something, prepping me for Dr. Coburn? I turned my head so I didn't have to face any of them and I bit my lip. I could feel the burning tears and I had a hard lump in my throat. I couldn't stop thinking about how I hadn't wanted to keep this baby. I wondered if I had done this…

Dr. Coburn came in and I could see that her face was lined with worry. I panicked as I saw her. I couldn't keep the tears at bay, but I didn't care. What mattered most was the baby. That thought scared me…it was almost motherly!

I saw Neela and Sam leave as Dr. Coburn did the exam. It hurt but I kept quiet, not knowing what to say. I became aware that my hands were clamped tightly over Luka's, my fingernails leaving deep red marks on his skin. I released his hand slightyly. He looked at me and his warm eyes penetrated deep into mine, cutting past the secrecy and only seeing fear.

I felt Dr. Coburn release me and watched as she snapped her gloves off. Her face was grave but she didn't look as worried as I would have expected.

"Abby, you're experiencing a threatened miscarriage." The word miscarriage scared me and I felt the tears again.

She saw my agitation and pressed on, "Abby, it's ok. You haven't lost the baby but there is a risk. This is a slightly uncommon occurrence but I've seen more than a few of them in my career. A threatened miscarriage causes bleeding and cramping and can mimic a miscarriage. Fortunately the baby is still inside the uterus. It has some causes but in this case I feel there was no specific factor that set it off. Though you didn't have a full miscarriage you are still at risk of a complete miscarriage. I want you on bed rest for the next two weeks. After that you come back, see me again and I will tell you if you can go back to work. To confirm my diagnosis I do want to do an ultrasound, are you ready to see your baby?"

She looked up at Luka and I. My eyes were red and my cheeks had tear stains on them, but they were from relief. I looked at Luka and nodded. He smiled back at me, knowing as I did, that this incident had woken me up, that I now knew that even though I was mourning Eric's death I couldn't forget to take care of myself and the baby.

Dr. Coburn pulled the machine over and spread the cool gel over my stomach.

"Hmm, you've gained a little weight there now Abby. It's a little early but I'm not too worried."

I nodded, peering at the dark screen as she went to flick it on. A dark, shadowy image appeared on the screen and I squinted, trying to see the child in the shadows.

Janet smiled, "Ah, there you go! That's why you've put on a little more weight than usual."

I raised an eyebrow as Janet continued, "Alright look there," she outlined a little peanut shape, "This is your baby and here…" She allowed her finger to move to the other side of the screen, "Is your second baby, you're pregnant with twins."

I turned to face Luka, licking my lips slowly and nodding, "Twins…twins Luka! You…I swear, I will kill you!" I must have looked serious because his already meek face paled.

"Well Abby, it's not that bad. Two for one deal…" he suggested.

"Luka! These are our children; it's not a two for one deal!"

As Janet turned of the ultrasound and wiped the gel from my stomach Luka sat down beside me on the bed, "Abby, just think! Two babies, two beautiful babies."

The shock was beginning to wear off and as I thought about it, the idea seemed to grow on me. I touched my belly with my hand and looked up at Dr. Coburn,

"You're sure there are two of them in there?" I wondered.

She nodded and put her hand on my stomach, "Here," she said, moving her hand to the top of my belly, "Is baby A." She moved her hand lower on my stomach, "And here is baby B. Think about whether you want to do this, but we can find out the sex of the babies in another 4 weeks."

I nodded slowly, "Does this cover our 12 week appointment?"

"Yes, everything seems to be fine but Abby I want you to take it easy, no physically or emotionally demanding tasks! I'll see you in two weeks."

I managed a weak smile, "Thanks Dr. Coburn."

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I was silent on the ride home, thinking over the news we'd just received, Luka seemed to be doing the same thing.

Finally I spoke up, "So, twins huh?"

He nodded, "I honestly couldn't have seen that coming."

I reached out for his hand once again and rested my head on his shoulder. "It's ok though, I think we'll be ok."

He kissed my forehead, "I'm sure we'll be fine."

I spoke out again, "I think we should go to a prenatal class."

He shrugged, "If you want to."

I nodded and he smiled, "Then we'll go."

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When I crept out of the shower the next morning, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my body,

I turned back to the mirror and rubbed my stomach, I felt nauseous but I fought the feeling. "Luka, I don't know if I'm ready for this. When are we going to tell everyone? I mean Neela already knows but what about everyone else?"

Luka's face paled suddenly, "Oh Damn."

I looked up at him in surprise, "What is it Luka?"

He buried his face in his hands, "Sam, I didn't talk to Sam. She knows now, she found out when you were in the hospital. Damn it!"

I chewed my lip thoughtfully, "In some ways it's good she found out but you should probably talk to her."

He nodded slowly and I told him to go talk to her. He hesitated at first but after a little nudge he left without a word.

When he had gone I decided to call Neela, I hadn't spoken to her in a while and I knew she probably wasn't doing too well.

The phone rang once before I heard her accent come through the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Neela, how're you doing?"

"Oh, hey Abby. I'm ok. How did the rest of your appointment go?"

I sighed, "Well I guess I have some new news. We're having twins."

I heard Neela cry out, "Oh Abby that's great!"

I smiled, "Yeah I guess it is, so how are things with you and Micheal?"

I heard the hesitation in her voice as she began, "He's leaving again, in three weeks. He volunteered to go back and they accepted him right away."

"Oh Neela, I'm sorry."

Her voice wavered, "It's ok, I know it's what he wants and I know I should be happy but it's just hard."

"I know Neela, I know. Look if you ever need someone to talk to call me ok? I'm likely going to be here. I can't pull myself away from the bathroom between having to throw up and pee all the time."

I heard her laugh, "Thanks Abby. Oh, and by the way. I got surgical, I start next week."

"Congratulations Neela!"

She sounded pleased and we talked for a little longer, until I heard Luka at the front door, "Hey Neela, Luka's home so I better go but don't hesitate to give me a call!"

She promised she would then I hung up, going to find Luka.

He was sitting in the kitchen sipping at one of the few beers he kept around the house.

"That bad huh?" I asked gently.

He shrugged, "Ah, she was just a little offended I didn't tell her."

I nodded, "That's ok Luka, but really you don't have to apologize, it wasn't really her business to know we were pregnant."

He nodded, "I know, but it's still a little difficult."

He slipped his arm around me and pulled me closer. I leaned into his, laying my head on his shoulder. As he leaned in to kiss me I felt my stomach lurch and pushed him away quickly,

"Sorry Luka, love to but I'm three months pregnant and I have to go throw up now."

**TBC…**

**Alright, thanks for reading! If you want, I'll take name suggestions…always looking for new ideas. Let me know if you have suggestions and please REVIEW!**


	4. Expect the Unexpected

**AN: Hey everyone, sorry it took a long time but I'm getting a week off so I should get at least one more chapter up. BTW Abby is 14 wks-16 wks pregnant here. It's over a course of two weeks.**

**Chapter 3 has been slightly corrected, view if you want.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ER or characters.**

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Chapter 4: Expect the Unexpected

I looked at the picture of Eric I now kept beside our bed and felt a sharp tug at my heart. After two and a half weeks the pain was still very fresh, being cooped up all day didn't help me keep my mind off of it either. I supposed that was a good thing anyways; better to get it all out in the open than to keep it all inside. I was surprised at myself for thinking such a thing, I wasn't usually an out in the open type of person…

After our appointment with Janet a few days ago, she had advised me to stay home another week or so to rest before going back to work. I had agreed grudgingly, so long as I didn't have to be in bed all day, and had taken the next two weeks off. She told me I could get up and moving but I still had to take it easy.

I wasn't really looking forward to going back to work anyways, since the miscarriage issue the entire hospital knew I was pregnant and I wasn't quite ready to go back to the jokes.

As I swung my legs over the side of the bed I took a deep breath. The morning sickness had passed and I felt lucky that I had only suffered for a couple weeks. Glancing at the clock I saw it was 12:30 pm, Luka had already gone to work, he would be home later.

I showered quickly then climbed into some sweatpants and a bulky sweater. Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I wandered into the kitchen, pulled out one of the battered cookbooks and slumped down onto the couch. Thumbing through it I found a recipe that looked scrumptious, _Chicken Kiev_. I debated a moment before getting up again; I had wanted to try cooking for a long time. I'd always wanted to be able to cook for someone and now that I had Luka and the babies I figured what better time to start then now?

Shuffling back into the kitchen I pulled out the ingredients, it was a good thing Luka kept up on the groceries, I was clueless. Laying them on the table I took a deep breath and began.

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I heard the key in the lock and quickly fastened the back of my pants. I wore a pair of simply black dress pants with a small pouch in the front for my belly. For the top I had chosen one of my new maternity tops. It was an off the shoulder, burgundy colored top with a simple pattern. Personally I thought the top was gorgeous. I had started wearing maternity clothes, why bother hiding it how? I fastened a necklace so that it hung down around my neck, the earrings I wore matched the necklace perfectly.

I hurried into the kitchen and lit the candles, setting a homey glow about the room. I could hear Luka hanging up his jacket in the closet.

"Abby?"

I went into the hallway and he caught his breath as I stepped out into his view,

"Wow."

I smiled lightly as he looked on,

"You want to go get changed? I have supper ready too."

"Supper?"

I could see the incredulity on his face as I nodded. Cooking had never been one of my fortés but I felt sure he would enjoy this meal.

He turned and walked towards are bedroom as I made my way to the kitchen, putting the last few touches on our meals. Just as I was sitting down he entered the room, smiling,

"Abby, this is fantastic!"

I beamed with pride as we began to eat.

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Luka pushed his chair away from the table,

"Abby that was delicious." He kissed me on the cheek as he took both of our plates to the sink.

As soon as he was finished he came next to me and said "Would you like to go for a walk with me?"

I agreed then went to change into a more comfortable outfit. When I had finished he handed me my coat and took my hand as we walked out into the night.

The streetlights illuminated the lingering snow, giving it an unearthly glow. There was a chill in the air but it felt as though winter was finally passing, spring was coming. We walked in silence; I could sense Luka had something to say so I waited quietly.

Sure enough, as we passed the quaint shops on the side streets he began to speak,

"Abby, I've been thinking, I know how hard it is to take care of one baby let alone two and neither of us really have room for two babies. So I was thinking, maybe, if you want to…we could look for a house together."

I sucked in a deep breath, filling my cheeks with air. "Luka…"

He waited patiently until I said,

"Luka, give me a little while. I'm used to being alone and independent, let me think about it a few days, ok?"

He nodded but I could see he was pleased.

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Two days later, I'd made my decision. When Luka came home, he found me sitting in the middle of his couch, surrounded by mover's boxes with a key in my hand. When I handed him the key he looked somewhat surprised and slightly disappointed.

"Oh…ok, I guess I can help you move out tomorrow."

I grinned, "No Luka, it's the key to my apartment and the rest of my things. I'm moving in, on one condition."

Now he was smiling, "What?"

"I want to find a house before the babies come. I called a real estate agent this afternoon."

Luka looked surprised to find that I was that capable,

"You called an agent? What did you say?"

"I said we were looking for a small house for two adults, two children. A fenced in back yard, no pool, a big kitchen and at least three bedrooms."

Luka was nodding, "Sounds good Abby. Sometimes you amaze me."

He pulled me into a hug that I returned happily.

As we sat down on the couch together he touched my belly. "How're my babies doing?"

I shrugged then said, "Luka, you have no idea how weird it is to be pregnant, to actually have a life growing inside of you."

He smiled, "So when are we going to start thinking of names?"

I shrugged again, "I don't know. Janet said we could find out the sexes of the baby in 2 weeks so maybe we could start then…or now and have them ready for then."

Luka kissed my cheek, "Whatever you want Abby."

I leaned back onto his shoulder, "I say we wait."

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About a week and a half later, the day I was supposed to go for my ultrasound, the real estate agent called with four houses for us to look at. I told her we would be able to go out for a few hours then we would have to get back home; I wanted to be able to take a nap before going to see Dr. Coburn. She agreed to meet us at the first house and I hung up the phone.

"Luka!" I yelled up the stairs.

He appeared in the stairwell, a puzzled look on his face. "Yeah?"

"That was the real estate agent, she wants us to go look at some houses now."

Luka looked surprised, "Already?"

I nodded, "Let's go."

"Are you sure you want to? You're feeling ok?" I had been feeling a little tired and achy lately.

I nodded and Luka came downstairs, grabbing his sophisticated black leather coat off the banister. I picked up my own black coat and slid it over my shoulders.

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When we got to the first house, I wasn't entirely impressed and I could see Luka wasn't either. It was a small split townhouse with paper thin walls. It had a nice backyard and a decent sized kitchen but I could hear the neighbors through the walls already.

When she asked us what we thought I told her no and Luka nodded in agreement, it was too small and not suitable for two new babies. She nodded in understanding and asked us to follow her to the next house.

It was only a few blocks away but those few blocks made a world of a difference. The house was enormous! It had a two car garage with extra storage and about six rooms on each floor. I shook my head and whispered to Luka,

"If we lived here I'd be scared to lose a baby in one of these rooms."

He chuckled and told the real estate agent no.

The third house was smaller and I liked it a lot. Luka however turned up his nose the moment we walked in the door. "Abby, it's country." He said.

I shrugged, "It's cute."

It was, it had most of the rooms on the first floor, all except one bathroom and three bedrooms, which were on the top floor. Though it was an old country style house I like it, it felt homey. Luka whispered to me that he thought it looked like Shania Twain had exploded in there. I laughed out loud and reluctantly told the real estate agent this wasn't the house for us.

The fourth house, I fell in love with. It was only about ten minutes away from the hospital but it was a suburban dream. It had a small front lawn but made up for it with a huge, fully enclosed, backyard. It was surrounded by a 5 foot high cedar fence and near the back of it there were huge oak trees, one with a tire swing hanging from its boughs.

The house was white with blue trim and blue shutters. It was a two story house with no basement but there were three bathrooms, one was an en suite to the master bedroom and the others were in the hallways. It had a one car garage which I was sure would be enough for us. At the front of the house was the dining room, the hardwood floor complimented the pale green walls with wide windows looking over the street. I could see us with a family dinner sitting around a table in the gorgeous room.

Children were playing out in the front of the other houses and their parents were watching carefully from white porches, identical the one on the house we were looking at. It looked like a very child friendly neighborhood.

Connected to the pale dining room was a very modern kitchen, the floor was a black and white tile and the appliances that were to go with the house were stainless steel. In the back corner of the kitchen there was room for a small table, surrounding that area were huge windows looking over the backyard.

On the other side of the kitchen was a reasonably sized family room. It was painted in earthy tones with the same wide windows in the kitchen overlooking the back yard.

In the front corner there was what looked like a child's playroom. It was painted in bright colors and had smaller windows that were suitable for blinds to keep Peeping Toms away.

In the hallway a small corridor led to one of the two bathrooms and a laundry room leading to the garage.

Upstairs were the bedrooms and one bathroom. There were four bedrooms, one more than we had expected but the remaining one would be able to be turned into an office for now. The master bedroom had an adjacent bathroom and the remaining bathroom was across from the other bedrooms. The four formed a horseshoe shape with our bedroom facing the front.

Out of all the bedrooms, only the master bedroom was painted, it was done in rich creamy colors that gave the room a beautiful glow. The other rooms were white and my fingers itched to decorate and make children's rooms.

I looked at Luka and saw that he had the same expression of eagerness on his face. The real estate agent left us alone in the corner bedroom to make our decision.

"I know it's sort of odd to find the perfect house on the first try but I honestly don't think we're going to find a better house for a better price." Luka stated.

I could've kissed him right then and there, "Yes." I breathed, "This is our house."

He smiled, "It's more expensive though, and do you think we can manage."

"Luka, I've lived on my own my entire life and I know you have for the past while, I'm sure we can come up with the money."

He was nodding, "You're sure?"

I nodded and he said, "Ok."

The real estate agent returned and Luka made the offer. She said she would take it to the owners and get back to us ASAP.

As we left the house I glanced at the clock, it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I had three hours until our appointment.

"Luka," I murmured, "We just bought a house."

He was grinning. "I know!"

I went on. "The babies will have to be beside each other, we can't split them up. If it's a girl we can do pink or purple…or maybe she won't like those…maybe yellow? If it's a boy we can do green and blue…maybe not just the colors, we could do patterns!"

As my voice rose in excitement over patterning ideas Luka slumped over the steering wheel laughing.

I pouted, "What?"

He continued laughing, "You're nesting again."

My lips turned up slightly, "So…."

He shrugged, turning his attention back to the road, "Nothing…nothing at all. I promise I will take you baby shopping when we find out what we're having and when we get a house."

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When we got home I downed the necessary 6 cups of water then curled up on the couch for a nap. I let my eyelids droop for I knew that I had an hour or so to sleep, and within minutes I was fast asleep.

I woke later when Luka poked me in the side.

I jumped surprise and swore loudly, "Damn it Luka, what was that for?"

He was grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary, "It's time to go to the appointment."

I couldn't help but smile at his antics, "Fine, I'm up, I'm up."

Stretching like a cat, I climbed off of the couch and Luka helped me into my coat.

He had to help me out to the car as I rubbed my eyes wearily. As we climbed into the car he asked again,

"Are you ok?"

I nodded, "I'm tired though."

"Tell Janet."

I told him I would and he remained silent the rest of the way. Though he remained silent I could sense his excitement, we were going to find out what we were having.

As we pulled up in front of the clinic I moaned softly. When Luka looked at me I shook my head, "I'm ok…I just really have to pee."

He chuckled and took my hand as we went into the clinic.

We were taken almost immediately; we were the last appointment of the day.

Janet met us in the room as I adjusted the paper hospital gown so none of me was hanging out.

"Uncomfortable Abby?" she asked.

I nodded, smiling slightly, "I never knew how embarrassing it was to wear one of these."

She smiled, "You have a full bladder?"

I nodded, glancing at Luka who was smiling at me, "Luka, stop it, you're creeping me out."

He managed to wipe that stupid grin off his face but not for long. As soon as the ultrasound machine came out it came back.

"Are you feeling ok Abby?" Dr. Coburn asked.

I nodded, "A little tired but fine."

"Good, you should be feeling the babies soon now. You're almost 16 weeks so it could be any day now. And you're returning to work soon?"

I nodded again, "On Monday."

"Aright then, let's do the ultrasound. You two want to know the sexes?"

We both nodded and she smiled, "Alight."

She smoothed the cool gel over my bare stomach and Luka took my hand in his. As the machine was started up I wondered eagerly what we would be having, a boy and a girl? Two boys? Two girls?

Janet placed the wand over my uterus and I made a small noise of discomfort as she pushed against my bladder. She apologized as she searched for the babies.

"Ok, so baby A is up here like last time, near the top of your belly. They're fraternal twins; you can see here are the two sacs."

I nodded as she scanned the child.

"Alright, there you go." She murmured, "Can you see that?" I squinted and saw Luka do that same. We both glanced at Janet and saw she was smiling, "You're sure you want to know."

I nodded eagerly and felt Luka's grip tighten on my hand, "Alright, baby A is a boy."

For some reason I immediately thought of Eric and tears welled up in my eyes. A new baby boy…a beautiful baby boy. I looked at Luka, who was grinning like a madman. When he saw my tears he reached up and brushed them away with his thumb,

"We have a baby boy." He said softly.

I broke into a smile and suddenly laughed out loud. "Luka we're having a baby!"

He smiled back, "We're having two babies."

'That's right," Janet said, "Baby B is here at the bottom, can you see what it is?"

Once again I looked only to shake my head in a puzzled manner.

Dr. Coburn was staring intently at the screen and rotated the wand a couple times, "This one's a bit more difficult but…ah! There we go. Baby B is a little girl."

I felt my hear swell with pride and love; we were having a little boy and a little girl.

"They're both healthy?" I asked.

Janet nodded, "So far, so good. Do you guys have names picked out?"

Luka shook his head, "No, we were looking at some but we haven't found any yet."

Janet pulled the wand from my stomach and wiped it off then led me to a bathroom. When I had finished she brought us back to the room, told us what to expect in the next month, booked an appointment and sent us on our way.

As we got in the car I took Luka's hand again, "A house and a girl and a boy in the same day."

Luka was smiling, "We are unbelievably lucky Abby."

I nodded, "I know Luka, I know."

It was silent until Luka said, "So for names, you're sure you don't want Jewel?"

I shot him a scathing look and said, "Hell No."

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**Ok ok ok, so it's not at all realistic they find a dream home on the first shot…who cares. I wanted to! Hee hee hee, please don't try and correct that ;) Anyways, please R&R Keep up the name suggestions please!**


	5. Neela's Troubles

**AN: Sorry it took so long guys! Anyways, enjoy the chapter and leave me a review! Make my day! I love to get them. R&R**

**Disclaimer: I own no ER or ER characters.**

Chapter 5: Neela's Troubles

"Andrea?" Luka asked

"No." I replied

"Amelia?"

"No."

"Andrew?"

"No."

"Cassidy?"

"No."

"Cameron?"

"No."

"Abby, I give up. What do you want to call them?"

I shrugged, "I don't know."

Luka sighed heavily, "Then why am I sitting here listening to you say no?"

I shrugged, "That's your decision."

I could see I was irritating him and I chuckled slightly as he left.

I grabbed some fresh clothes out of the laundry basket and changed quickly in our bedroom. Throwing a change of clothes and some snacks in a bag, I tossed it to the door and yelled, "Luka! We have to go!"

Ha appeared, still tying his tie. I laughed as he struggled to tie his tie and get into his coat at the same time.

By the time we left I felt sure we were late but we made it to the hospital in record time. Before we went in Luka asked, "You sure you're ready to go back?"

I looked at him for a moment, "Are you sure you want to ask that? Luka, I've been cooped up in your apartment for a month, hell yeah I'm ready to go back."

Luka laughed as we entered.

Sure enough, first thing I hear when we enter is Frank calling, "So Abby, I hear you're knocked up!"

I gave a sarcastic smile, "Yeah, thanks a lot Frank."

He shrugged, "It's not like anyone around here doesn't know."

I smiled again, "That's fantastic."

I threw my bag under the counter of the desk and pulled on my lab coat.

"So what do you have for me?" I murmured looking over the board.

Pratt came up behind me, "Abby, good to see you back."

I smiled, "Thanks Dr. Pratt."

He nodded, "There's a kid in curtain 1, something wrong with her ankle. You want it?"

I nodded, "Why not?" and took the chart he was holding out for me.

I skimmed through it then pulled open the curtain. I was sort of surprised to see the young girl, maybe sixteen, holding a baby. At least it looked like a baby…Upon further investigation I saw it was a doll.

The girl must have seen my confusion because she said, "It's an electronic baby, and I have to watch it for a week, school project."

I nodded, "Ah, that's pretty neat."

She nodded with a small smile as she looked at my own belly.

I smiled back, "Alright…Amanda?" At her nod I continued, "What am I seeing you for?"

She pointed at her ankle, which was a dark purple and swollen about three times the normal size.

I nodded, "Alrighty, what happened there?"

"I was walking home from school and I slipped on the ice."

I winced in sympathy.

Her mother was hovering over her shoulder, watching anxiously. "Amanda? Could you give the baby to your mom? I'll get you up and walking around to see what's going on."

She obliged and I slipped my hand around her waist, helping her out of bed. It became apparent very soon that she couldn't put any weight on it. I helped her sit back down and said,

"Alrighty, it doesn't look broken to me." As I pushed her foot around to judge the motion, "I think it's just a bad sprain. I'll go grab some wrap and bandage you up."

She nodded and I went to grab the supplies. On my way I was greeted by Ray and Sam, both of whom I acknowledged, and then returned to the room.

I bandaged Amanda's foot quickly then handed her a pair of crutches, "Use these until you can put weight on your foot again, then start going without them, Ok?"

Amanda nodded and I smiled, "Good, and good luck on your baby project."

She thanked me and I left, pulling the curtain closed behind me. I stretched, putting my hands on the small of my back and leaning backwards. After only one patient I could tell it was going to be along day.

I put the chart away and erased Amanda's name from the board. I greeted a few more people then went looking for Ray.

"Ray?" I asked when I found him.

He turned, "Yeah Abby?"

"Where's Neela? I haven't seen her yet, aren't surgeons usually running around down here?"

He shrugged, "From what I heard she took a few days off."

I nodded and left thanking him, but I was confused. It wasn't like Neela to take time of work.

I jumped as I felt someone's arms slip around my waist. I turned quickly and hit Luka on the shoulder, "Don't do that!"

He was grinning. "How are you doing?"

I shrugged, "Good I guess, a little tired."

"Guess who just called me?" He taunted.

"Who?"

"The real estate agent. We got the house."

I jumped out of his grasp, "Seriously?"

He nodded and I let out a little squeal of excitement, "Oh that's so…"

I was cut off when Sam ran by, "Abby we need you! Seven year old cancer patient presenting with shortness of breath."

I kissed Luka quickly, "See you later." and ran after Sam.

I stood in the loading zone with Sam, my arms wrapped around my chest, bouncing on my heels to keep warm. Sam chatted quietly with me as we waited, though I could sense a feeling of hesitation in her. She was still upset with Luka.

I didn't bring it up but let her keep talking until the ambulance pulled up. When it did, a coupled of paramedics swung open the door and pulled out the gurney.

I felt my heart lurch as I saw the little girl, she couldn't have weighed very much, she had dark blue circles under her eyes and her head was completely bald. She wore a little pink toque but it didn't hide the bare skin. Her eyes were bleary but they were the most magnificent blue I'd ever seen.

What upset me the most was that this was someone's child, someone's baby. If either of mine got sick…

I cut off the thought abruptly and grabbed one side of the gurney. The girl's mother and father followed behind us into the surgical room.

Luka and Dr. Pratt followed Sam and I into the room, ready to assist. A second nurse stood with the parents and spoke to them, trying to get a history.

I removed the temporary breathing mask and intubated her immediately, giving the hand pump to Sam. The young girl was drowsy but conscious. I asked the parents her name and they replied,

"It's Laura."

"Hey Laura," I murmured quietly, "Not feeling so good huh?"

She shook her head slightly.

"Ok sweetie, we had to put a tube down your throat to help you breath. It may be a little uncomfortable but we have to leave it there."

She nodded as Pratt and Luka worked behind me to stabilize her.

I took her little hand in mine and rubbed it with my thumb, all of a sudden I felt the strangest movement under my ribs, it was like a tiny butterfly. The fluttering motion came again and I felt a bubble of excitement in my chest. My baby boy was moving.

I turned my attention back to Laura who was gradually becoming more stable. When they had finished I sat the gurney up so she could see.

"Laura, we're going to take you up to see your doctor now, ok? He's up on a different floor."

She nodded and then turned to look at me, her bright blue eyes gleaming, and then she smiled, a huge, front teeth missing smile.

I felt a lump in my throat as I smiled back at her. How could someone so sick be so happy?

I helped put her into a wheelchair and pushed her alongside her parents to an elevator. When we arrived on the third floor I followed them down the corridor to the children's unit of the oncology floor. A doctor greeted us in the hallway, talking first to Laura then to her parents.

I slipped away silently after they had thanked me and as I turned I saw that Laura was looking at me. I gave her a small smile, which she returned, then climbed into the elevator.

When I got back to the ER Luka met me there,

"Abby, you ok? That was a bit of a heavy case."

I nodded, then breaking into a grin I told him, "Luka, Our baby boy started to move."

He looked stunned, "What?"

"I felt him, he was kicking."

Luka put both of his hands on my stomach and kissed me, "Abby…"

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When I finished my shift I couldn't have been happier. Though I loved being back at work and seeing everyone I was exhausted. Still, I couldn't get Neela off my mind.

When we got home I changed out of my work clothes and said, "Luka, I'm going to see Neela ok?"

He nodded and I grabbed the keys and headed out to the car.

I pulled up in front of Neela's apartment a few minutes later and slammed the car door. When I made my way up to her apartment and knocked on the door no one answered. I tried again to no avail. The third time I grabbed the handle, the door was unlocked.

I pushed the door open gently, "Neela?"

The air smelled faintly of alcohol and I could hear music playing in the background. I found her in her bedroom, sitting on the bed and staring out the window, "The music was his favorite."

I saw an open bottle of wine sitting beside her; it looked as though she had drunk the entire bottle. I pushed it aside and sat down next to her. Her cheeks were flushed and when I touched her forehead it was warm.

"Neela? What's going on?"

She didn't look at me, but stared out the window, "He didn't even say goodbye. Got up and left…didn't even tell me."

I sat quietly beside her for a while, jiggling my foot against the side if the bed.

"So something happened today." I said quietly, "Actually two things happened."

Neela looked up and I saw a faint smile on her face, "What?"

I grinned in remembrance, "Our baby boy started kicking."

I saw a light in the back of Neela's eyes as she spoke, "Really! When?"

"We were at the hospital when it started; he's been moving a little this evening but not too much."

"So what's the other thing?" She questioned.

I gave her a sly smile, "That, you have to come with me to see."

I winced as she stumbled when she stood up, and I steadied her before getting up myself. As we both got our spring jackets on, I spoke quietly,

"Not to imply anything but really, Neela, drinking's not going to help."

She was silent until we were out walking down the street,

"I know, and usually I don't. It's just so hard to be alone after finally being married. I though he was done with it, I thought we could live together and have kids, be a real family."

I slipped my arm around her shoulder and squeezed, "I know Neela, but he still needs you. He needs to know you're here for him…waiting for him to come home. It'll be different but we're still all here for you, me and Ray. Everyone."

Neela suddenly looked upset again, "Abby, I have something to confess."

I looked up at her, "What?"

"Honestly, I hate working surgical."

I had to laugh then said, "Then come back, come work in the ER with us."

She was nodding, "You know, I think I will."

We walked for about a half hour when I stopped. Neela looked up and saw a house. "Wow, that's a gorgeous house." She said.

I grinned, "It's ours."

She looked at me, in shock.

"We bought it, Luka and I are moving in together."

I took her hand and led her into the front door, I showed her around listing the renovations I was going to do and how I was going to decorate the babies rooms. Just as I was telling her was shade of green the paint would be she burst out laughing,

"Abby, I don't know how Luka puts up with you."

I smiled, "You know, sometimes I don't think he does…"

I showed her the rest of the house before leaving and walking back to her apartment. When we arrived I gave her a hug and said, "Neela, anytime you need anything…call me, please."

She assured me she would then I took the car and went home.

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That night I lay in bed beside Luka, thinking. He was sleeping soundly but I couldn't manage to get myself to do the same. I shifted anxiously and turned on my side, so my face was near Luka's ear.

"Luka?" I whispered. He didn't wake,

"Luka!" I called.

He jumped about a foot, "What the he…Abby? What are you doing!"

"Luka, the baby's kicking." I said quietly.

Taking his hand I placed it under my t shirt and pulled it to where the small fluttering motion was. He looked concerned for a moment

"Sorry Abby, I don't feel anything. It's too early."

I frowned slightly; disappointed I couldn't share my excitement with someone else. Luka looked slightly disappointed as well. I sighed slightly before remembering why I had woken him up.

"Luka?" I whispered again.

He looked up, "Yeah?"

I hid my smile, "I'm hungry."

He looked puzzled, "Hungry? Abby it's just past midnight."

I pouted, "I want kraft dinner with ketchup…and olives. Mixed together, with pickles too."

My mouth was watering and I'm sure I saw Luka gag at the thought, but he got up anyways and went to the kitchen, putting on a pot of boiling water. I followed him, carrying the color wheel to the table,

"So I was thinking we could do our baby girl's room like an ocean theme, like underwater? Or maybe an island theme, like a beach. Then for baby boy's room we could do like a jungle. We could paint animals on the wall and in baby girl's we could do sea creatures and mermaids."

Luka sat down next to me and took my hands in his, "Abby…neither of us can paint."

I was stumped for a moment then said, "Ok, we'll hire someone. I need to go shopping."

Luka was smiling, "Ok, you're off tomorrow, so am I. We'll go look at the house, plan the rooms and go shopping ok?"

I nodded, grinning. "Ok."

"And Abby? I think we should call the babies something else, instead of baby girl and baby boy. How about BG and BB?"

I tried them out, "Bee bee and Bee gee?"

He nodded then got up to finish my snack. He brought it over and I ate ravenously, savoring the mixed flavors. Now I was sure Luka had gagged,

"Abby, I can't watch you eat that. That's disgusting."

I grinned, "Fine, go to bed. I'm fine here."

He left, stumbling back to the bedroom and I caressed my belly, "Hear that guys? We're going shopping!"

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Thanks so much for reading! Leave me a review before you go! Let me know what you thought, I want to hear…good…bad? Thanks again!


	6. Of Babies and Crying

**AN: Enjoy the chapter! Sorry it was so long, I'm suffering from writers block right now and I'm very sad… ;). **

**I own none of the ER characters.**

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Chapter 6: Of Babies and Crying

I lay still in Luka's arms, my back pressed against his warm stomach. His arm was settled gently over my round belly. I sighed deeply, letting my eyes adjust to the light of the room. Our shopping trip had been postponed; Luka had been called in on an urgent trauma case and hadn't been able to get away from the hospital. Now four weeks later, at 21 weeks pregnant we had finally managed to get another day to ourselves.

We'd had some of our furniture moved into the house and we'd begun setting up several rooms. The only rooms that were still untouched were the babies' bedrooms. I had been waiting until this shopping trip to fill in the empty room.

I placed my hand over Luka's and pulled it up to where one of the baby's was kicking. In the beginning, because of the twins' positions I had been able to guess who was kicking, now they moved so much I could never remember who was who.

I brought Luka's hand to my mouth and kissed it gently. He stirred quietly then reached for the bedside table, handing me a roll of Tums unconsciously, I'd woken up the past few weeks with awful heartburn and Luka now kept a roll nearby. I pushed them away and turned around so I was facing him.

"Luka, I'm hungry again." I whispered.

Luka moaned and mumbled, "Abby, you probably have heartburn from eating all the time."

I hit him with my pillow, hard enough to make him raise his head, "What was that for?"

I grinned wickedly, "You owe me a chocolate sundae for that comment, Buster."

Luka managed to drag himself out of bed and down to the kitchen, returning after he had prepared a chocolate sundae. He handed it to me and watched listlessly as I ate.

When I had finished I licked my lips, getting rid of the chocolate, and then climbed out of bed. I had to laugh; we had a few piles of clothes and our bed, that was it. We planned to move into the new house within the week.

I shed my pajamas and pulled on a new outfit, one of the advantages of being up all night starving to death was, you got time to shower. I went over and shoved Luka over the side of the bed.

"C'mon sleepyhead! Time to get up and go shopping!" I said in a chipper voice.

Luka groaned, "Abby, what is the matter with you?"

I slipped out of the room as he pulled on slacks and a button up shirt. When he exited I grabbed him around the neck, swinging my lips forward to meet his. I pressed mine into his, touching his neck gently with my hands.

I pulled away suddenly and Luka looked slightly frazzled, "Now that…that I can deal with."

I smirked and sauntered into the bathroom, applying a fresh coat of makeup and fixing my hair into a loose half ponytail. Luka adjusted his tie and shaved quickly before heading to the kitchen and eating a bowl of cereal.

I sat with him, jiggling my leg impatiently as he ate. Really, sometimes men could be so slow.

Suddenly he looked up, "So I spoke to Neela, she's transferring back to ER."

I grinned widely, "That's fantastic!"

Luka smiled back, shoving another spoonful of cheerios into his mouth.

I went back to waiting impatiently, but now I thought about Neela, over the past month since our chat she'd seemed happier, more content. I was glad to see that maybe she was finding it easier to cope.

Finally Luka finished his breakfast; I practically had to drag him away from the dishes to take me shopping. We stopped at the house first, getting measurements then proceeding to the nearest baby boutiques.

In the first store we purchased a second bassinet to go with the one we had already purchased then asked to have it delivered to the house the following week. The first one was already set up in the new house, underneath the window.

We made the short trip to the next baby store, Luka complaining the whole way. Honestly, if I could put up with him I could put up with two children.

We found a sale on cribs at babies 'r' us. We chose two different cribs; one for each room. For BG's room we got a lightly stained oak crib and for BB's room we got a dark mahogany colored crib. Both were the same design and would fit ideally in the space available.

Next we bought bedding for both cribs. Luka had discouraged my idea about the ocean/garden theme for the bedrooms and convinced me to go a more traditional route. For BG's room we picked a light green and pink quilt with matching bedding. The quilt had small flowers stitched over the patches that complimented the pastel colors. A canopy came with the set but we took only the sheet, feeling the canopy would be too much. For BB's room we chose a vintage plaid bedding set. It was a blue border with red plaid on the interior. The bedding was a mixture of the same blue border and red plaid and a hint of green ribbing around the edges.

Both styles were very classic, and because we'd decided against a professional artist we would be doing any painting ourselves, making it more difficult to do an intricate theme.

We moved on to the next store and found some decorations for both of the twins' rooms. After purchasing paint and painting supplies I decided we had spent enough money for one day and took had Luka take me back to the house.

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When we got back I changed into my painting clothes, a bright pink bra and loose denim overalls. I forgot the T shirt, it was warm and we would be working hard.

I was sure Luka hadn't seen me in the bra yet and sure enough when I walked in he looked me up and down then said,

"That's a new one." As his eyes came to rest at my chest.

I grinned slightly, pulling my hair back from the damp spot on my neck and securing it in a loose ponytail. I grabbed a paint brush and dipped it into the navy paint, drawing it smoothly across the wall.

I felt Luka's arms wrap around my waist and he hugged my little belly tightly. I brought the paint brush slowly away from the wall then turned and swiped it across his chin. He looked a little shocked then turned and nuzzled his chin into my neck, leaving a dark spot of paint there. I brought a look of solid concentration to my face as I painted two lined across Luka's cheeks.

His face was bright with a smile as he did the same to me then moved his hands to my top. He unhooked the clasp of my overalls and pushed them to the floor. I stepped out of them and he dipped his fingers in the paint before putting them on my bare belly.

Dark marks from his hands lined my belly as I pressed against him, pushing him out of BB's room and into our own. He let his tongue caress my bottom lip as I trailed my fingers up and down his sides. The room was bare, making it sort of awkward but there was carpet on the floor so it wasn't uncomfortable to lie there.

Luka's hands reached around and unclasped my bra, then threw the object to the floor. His hands worked over my body as I kissed his frantically and right then and there we broke in the new house, on the floor of our new bedroom.

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When we had both composed ourselves we returned to painting. I wiped my hands on my pants and grinned at Luka,

"That's not going to happen every time."

He smiled back, "We'll see."

I turned laughing and continued painting the wall. I'd worried the navy would be to dark but now that I saw it on the wall I reasoned that it would match the house and the room perfectly.

I worked until I became tired and seated myself on the ground in the middle of the room, one hand resting on my belly. I stroked it gently and watched as Luka worked on the last wall. We'd managed to complete the walls but the trim needed to be done, then we had to move onto BG's room.

Lying flat out on the floor, I stretched wearily and sighed deeply, "Luka, I'm only 21 weeks pregnant and already I feel like a whale."

Luka looked over his shoulder, "Abby, you're gorgeous."

I laughed, "You're just saying that because we just had sex."

Luka went to protest but stopped, "Ok, maybe…but you are gorgeous."

I smirked and straightened again, working against the knots in my back.

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I went into work that night, more too visit than to work but I ended up taking care of a few of the walk in cases; a man who'd shot himself in the hand with a nail gun, a girl with a gash on her forehead…the usual.

I sat in the break room stirring my 'decaf' coffee listlessly. Ray wandered in and I looked up,

"Hey Ray, have you seen Weaver lately? How'd her operation go?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, I heard she came through ok. I believe she's up in general recovery right now."

I nodded, "Alright. I'm going to go up and talk to her, see you later."

He waved in my general direction as I left to find Kerry.

It took only a few minutes and I stood outside of her door and knocked gently. I heard her voice and cracked open the door,

"Kerry?"

She looked up from the paper she was reading, "Abby, come in!"

I did so, smiling, and settled myself in the chair next to her bed.

She grinned, looking at my belly. "Well look at you!"

I smoothed a hand over my belly, "Yeah, I've sort of exploded in that area."

She laughed lightly, "Well that's what happens. Sandy looked like that when she was pregnant with Henry."

Her face changed into an expression of sadness and I felt a deep sympathy for her, Sandy Lopez had died several years earlier after injuries due to a fire.

I touched her hand gently, "How's Henry doing?"

Her face brightened, "He's great. He came in to see me the other day and he was so sweet. I have to tell you Abby, it's really worth it."

I grinned back, "That's a good thing to hear right about now."

She laughed, "Trust me, I know."

I changed the subject, "So how was the surgery?"

She shrugged, "Ok I guess, I haven't been up yet, but other than recovery pain I haven't experienced that much pain."

"Good, I'm really happy for you."

She looked thoughtful, "I wasn't sure at first…but now I'm glad, it'll be easier for me and for Henry."

I nodded, "You bet."

Dr. Weaver shifted slightly as Abby stood up, "Anyways, I really should be going. I came in to visit everyone and Luka's expecting me."

She nodded, "Thanks for coming to visit Abby, I really appreciate it."

I smiled, "You just work on getting better." And with that I left.

When I got home I crept into the bedroom and lay down, rubbing my back wearily.

Luka rolled over and brushed the hair away from my neck, kissing it gently.

He reached down and took over, massaging my back gently, trying to get rid of the pain. I sighed under his touch and felt my muscles relax unconsciously.

When he stopped, I felt completely relaxed…but I couldn't sleep. I felt worried. I could hear Luka's breathing beside mine and I knew that he had fallen asleep. I fiddled with my fingers, intertwining them over my belly. I rubbed my belly carefully, feeling them moving lazily about and I thought. I thought long and hard about what I was getting myself into.

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**TBC…**

**Thanks for reading. Please Review! I love to hear from you! More baby name suggestions? I'm trying to make a list of possibilities and work them out! Thanks so much.**


	7. Noah?

**AN: Please Review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ER or their characters**

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Chapter 7: Noah?

I moaned, lifting my stomach slightly as I stretched. I grabbed a file from the pile and scanned it lazily.

"Hey Abby! What are you now? 6 months?"

"6 months exactly but if you talk to me again Morris, I may have to behead you."

He put his hands up in mock surrender and motioned zipping his lips. I nodded in satisfaction,

"That's right. Now, I have to pee so, you can take vomiting girl in curtain two."

He glowered at me but took the clipboard as I dashed away, quickly relieving myself in the staff bathroom.

Coming out, I smoothed my stomach with my hand, "Not nice guys…not nice at all."

One kicked, as if in reply and I laughed as my stomach moved.

Luka appeared behind me and rubbed my belly gently, "What so funny?"

I grinned, "Oh nothing…just laughing at the babies."

"They were kicking again?"

I nodded, "Not as much as last night but enough. They find it funny, making me run to the bathroom in fear that I am about to explode."

He laughed, "You're in a pretty chipper mood for being up all night."

I shrugged, "Ah, you learn to deal with it. Besides, I was folding all of their clothes with my spare time."

He grinned, "It's getting pretty hard to tear you out of those new bedrooms. Ever since we moved in that's where you've been every spare minute."

I lifted an eyebrow, "You better not be complaining mister."

He held up his hands just as Morris had done, "Nope, not complaining."

With that he turned, winked, and walked away to find his patient.

I shook my head as I wandered back to the admission desk, picking up a new file.

_Seven year old boy, presents with high fever present for three days._

I slipped a mask in my pocket and went to check it out.

The little boy lay pale and shivering in his mothers lap. I smiled sympathetically at the mother as I stepped closer.

"What's his name?"

"Ian." She replied, "We just didn't know what to do. His doctor is out of town and…"

I shook my head, "It's fine. Better we get it checked out."

I pulled out a thermometer, "Hey Ian, I'm Dr. Abby. Can we put this in your mouth for a minute?"

He nodded. I popped it in quick, took his other stats and waited until the time was up.

"Alrighty, it says you have a temp of…102.1. Ouch! That can't be fun."

I looked up at his mother, "Any other symptoms?"

She nodded, "Yeah, this." She pointed at him, "He's never like this. He's always up and running."

I nodded, scribbling lethargy down in his chart. "Anything else?"

"He's been complaining of a full-feeling head and a headache."

I nodded, good. It didn't sound like a viral infection. I could keep the mask right where it was.

"Alrighty. I'm going to check your ears, mouth, nose and eyes. We'll see if we can find an infection."

I pulled out my tongue depressor and looked in his mouth, "A little red, but not too bad."

Next I checked his ears, "Aha! There you go. Ian, looks like you have a nasty ear infection. Has his eardrum burst? Any fluid?"

The mother shook her head, "Alright that's good. I'm going to give you the name of a drug you can pick up at your local pharmacy and you can give him a low dose of Children's Tylenol for the pain and fever. Ok?"

The mother nodded as I scribbled a prescription down on a pad of paper.

"Ian, you make sure mommy gets you lots of juice and popsicles ok? Get all that infection out."

He nodded and gave a childish grin, "Can I have banana flavor?"

I smiled back, "Banana flavor is the best. Now you go home and get better."

He nodded and his mom helped him off the bed, "Thank you." He said.

I nodded, "You're welcome Ian."

I grinned as I turned to walk away, little kids were so cute.

One of the babies gave a kick and I poked it back, "You behave yourself in there. We have to go see Janet later."

I straightened up, tossing the file onto the _over and done with_ pile, as we'd so fondly named it.

Sam looked up from the computer, "Wow, Abby. Your stomach is huge."

I nodded, patting the said bump "You got that right."

She grinned, "Twelve weeks left?"

I moaned, "Don't even tell me that."

She shrugged, "It goes by fast, trust me."

I grinned, "It better. Oh, have you seen Dr. Coburn?"

She shook her head, "Isn't she over at her clinic?"

I nodded, "Yeah thought I would check anyways. Thanks Sam."

She nodded her reply as I turned to leave.

I took a deep breath as I felt the familiar burn in the top of my chest. Rubbing it slightly I grabbed the roll of Tums from my pocket and downed two. Man, heartburn sucked.

I closed my eyes, leaning against the wall and waiting for it to pass. When it finally began to subside I let out a deep breath and sighed, pushing myself off the wall.

One of the new, younger nurses walked by and saw me, "You ok there Abby?"

I nodded, "Heartburn's a killer."

I took another deep breath then left my position and went into the break room. Letting myself sag into the cushioned couch, I switched off the light and closed my eyes.

_What is with all the pregnancy stuff all at once?_ I wondered silently.

Over the past week, as soon as I'd hit 24 weeks, I'd gotten just about everything. My boobs were the size of…I don't even know…watermelons? They were enormous! And painful! My hands had swollen too, they were sore all the time.

The books had all told me that my mood swings would have disappeared by now, but judging by the looks on other peoples faces there was no way that had happened yet. Just in general, I felt big. I felt bloated and full all the time, my ankles were swollen and I'd begun to gain more weight in my belly.

I sighed and shifted as the babies punched my bladder. Moaning I got up and turned the light back on,

"Fine, you win. I won't lie down; I'll go pee until my bladder falls out…thank you very much guys."

On my way to the bathroom, Luka stopped me and tried to have a conversation,

"Luka, I would love to talk to you right now but if I do, I may actually pee on you."

He moved out of my way and laughed as I ran to the bathroom.

When I returned he grinned, as if he had somehow plotted the whole thing.

"Ha ha, real funny Luka. What do you want to talk about?"

"I was thinking about names while I was working and I wanted to know what you thought about the name Noah."

I thought for a minute, "Noah…Noah Lockhart Kovac, Noah Kovac."

Luka stood in silence while I contemplated, "You know what? I like that one. Write it down so we remember."

Luka smiled and kissed my cheek, "Thank you."

I shrugged, "For what?"

"For liking it."

I laughed, "It's a good name. Hey, I'll meet you in an hour, we have to go to Janet's, I have another ultrasound."

He nodded, "I'll see you then."

I grinned as I turned to leave, _Noah, baby Noah._

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I climbed into the passenger seat of Luka's car and closed my eyes as he started the engine.

"You ok Abby?"

I nodded, "I'm fine."

He smiled, as he watched me touch my belly gently.

When we pulled up at the clinic, he helped me out of the car and into the clinic. As we sat down I gave thanks that I was only six months, watching a nine month pregnant mother struggle to even breathe.

I relaxed, slouching down in the seat with my arms draped over my belly. When they called my name I was reluctant to get up but did so with Luka's help.

I changed into one of the ill fitting hospital gowns and sat up on the table, Luka at my side. When Janet came in she grinned, "Look at you!"

I laughed, "Yeah, no kidding."

"Alright, Our nurse said she weighed you in, you've gained a grand total of 25 pounds already."

I grimaced, "Yikes, and from what I've heard the worst is yet to come?"

She nodded, "You got it. Alright, so any issues you'd like to ask me about first?"

I shook my head, "I've got just about every pregnancy symptom you could imagine, but according to everyone they're all normal."

Janet nodded, "Good. Ok, I'll just ask you a few questions then. Have you had any bladder infections? They're pretty common at this time during the pregnancy."

I shook my head, "No."

"Backache?"

"Hell yes."

Janet laughed, "Ok, try getting Luka to give you a massage, don't wear high heels and rest after work, that's a big one for you. How about nosebleeds? Bleeding gums?"

I shook my head.

"Breast soreness or leaking?"

I nodded, "Yes to soreness, no to leaking."

Janet nodded, "You may start so buy a maternity bra and slip one of the pads in. As for soreness, try a hot shower? Just try to avoid contact for a few weeks."

I looked at Luka pointedly, making him laugh.

"Have you felt faint at all?"

I shook my head again.

"Heartburn?"

I laughed, "Don't even get me started."

"Try watching what you eat, could be something in particular. If not, try eating small meals several times a day."

I nodded, "Thank you."

"Mood swings?"

I nodded again, "All the time."

She shrugged, "That, I can't do much about. Let yourself be upset when you have to be, take rest, etc."

"Pelvic pain?"

I hesitated, "Some aching but I wouldn't say pain."

She nodded, "It can get worse, especially in the latter months, try heating pads or changing your position. Hmmm, how about movement?"

"All day, everyday."

"Good, Luka can you feel it yet?"

He shrugged, "Sometimes, but not always."

She nodded, "It'll get easier. If it's uncomfortable change position or push gently on your stomach, it can't hurt the baby but it will move it slightly or encourage it to stop."

"What about sleeping?"

I hesitated, "Not too good."

"Try pillows, elevation, keep yourself comfortable."

"And finally, how about contractions?"

I shook my head, "None yet."

"Good, you may start getting them on and off. Braxton-Hicks. These are nothing to worry about, If they do start, change what your doing. For example, go lay down, take a walk. Make sure you're eating and drinking properly. If they are painful take some deep breaths, try and relax. If you can relax during these ones it's easier during real labour."

I nodded, "Ok."

"So what do you say we do the ultrasound?"

I nodded, "Sounds good."

She pulled over the machine and quickly set the ultrasound up. Smoothing gel over my stomach she pushed the wand into my belly as the screen lit up. Massaging gently she looked for a baby.

"There we go, this is…baby girl."

For the first time she actually looked like a baby, she was so little and perfect, I wanted to reach out and grab her. Janet smiled and adjusted the wand, looking for our boy.

"There he is, baby boy."

I watched as he shifted slightly and whispered, "Noah."

She looked up, "Is that his name?"

I smiled, "We're thinking about it."

She looked around for a little longer then turned the machine off. "Well, everything seems to be going well. I would recommend you call the hospital and pre register soon as well."

Luka nodded, "We called last week and let them know."

Janet smiled, "Good, then it looks like you guys are on the ball. How are things at home going? Preparations?"

"Good." I said, "We actually jut moved, it's a new house closer to the hospital and more kid friendly."

She nodded, "That's great! Well, call me with any concerns and I'll see you next month."

We thanked her then I went and changed before we left.

Slipping into the car, I took Luka's hand.

"Thanks for coming."

He grinned, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

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When we were lying in bed that evening I thumbed through the baby names book.

"Listen to this, Noah means Rest or Peace."

Luka smiled and pulled me closer to him, "Do you like it?"

I nodded, "I think we should call him that."

"What about a middle name?"

I thought a minute, "I've always liked Daniel, how about Noah Daniel?"

Luka thought about the idea, "Noah Daniel, I like it…I like it a lot."

I grinned, "You sure?"

He nodded.

I smoothed my belly with my hand and murmured, "Noah Daniel Kovac."

Looking up, I suddenly felt startled, "Luka, we're actually having a baby."

He laughed, "We're having a baby."

I grinned, looking at my bulge, "Now what about BG?"

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That night, I fixed pillows, rearranged myself, did some psycho pregnancy exercise and still couldn't fall asleep.

I growled softly and pushed myself out of bed, walking slowly out of the room so not to disturb Luka.

I paced wearily in the hallway, trying to tire myself out.

I was about to head back to bed when the phone rang. I ran to get it quickly, so it wouldn't disturb Luka, _Who would be calling in the middle of the night?_

I grabbed the phone, "Hello?"

"Abby?"

I recognized Neela's English accent the minute she spoke.

"Neela? What is it?"

I heard her clear her throat and I could tell she was upset.

"It's Michael."

I felt my breath catch in my throat, "Neela?"

"He was in an accident…his leg…they shot his damn leg off."

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**TBC…..**

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	8. Michael

**AN: Please enjoy the chapter and REVIEW; Make me feel warm and fuzzy! I hope you enjoy and keep reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ER or The characters**

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Chapter 8: Michael

I hung up the phone, letting it fall heavily into the cradle. Sinking to the floor beside the phone I rested my head in my hands, _Damn it Michael!_

I pushed myself off of the floor slowly and tip toed back into our room. I poked Luka gently in the side until he woke up. He looked up at me with sleep-bleared eyes,

"Abby? What is it?"

I hesitated, "Luka, it's Michael. He had an accident. Neela said he was fighting and his leg was shot, they had to amputate."

Luka was up out of bed in an instant. "Where is he?"

I followed closely behind him as he threw on clothes, "He's being flown into county tonight, he's been stabilized but they can't maintain his condition down there. One thing's for sure, he's never going back to war."

I suddenly stopped as Luka threw on a shirt, "Luka, where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to the hospital, that's one of us in there."

I shook my head, "No, Neela told me she didn't want to see anyone yet. She wants to see Michael first and make sure he's going to pull through."

He hesitated, finally letting the shirt fall to the floor, "Fine, we'll go tomorrow."

I nodded, shifting so I could sit down on our bed, "We'll go tomorrow."

Luka came and sat next to me. I gently took his hand, pressing it into the lower side of my rounded belly.

"Feel that?" I asked quietly.

He held still, his hand pushing gently into my side. Finally he nodded,

"It's strong."

I laughed, "Yeah."

He let go and I gently pushed my belly. The baby kicked back, hard.

"I don't think it likes that." I said, laughing as it continued.

Luka gave me a half hearted smile, "Abby, did Neela say anything else?"

I shook my head, "She said he's flying in and he's been stabilized. They're not sure they've been able to stop an infection though."

He nodded; he looked like he was thinking. I lay on my back, sighing deeply.

"Luka, don't ever go anywhere ok? Don't leave us."

He curled up beside me, "Do you think I would do that?"

I shrugged, "I know you wanted to go help John."

He shook his head, "Abby, you and these babies are the most important things to me in the world."

I chewed my lip, smiling thoughtfully. I pushed my body closer to his and sighed deeply before sliding my body into his,

"I love you."

He kissed my hair, breathing in the citrus scented shampoo, "I love you too."

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I shifted, stretching my aching legs. I cracked open an eye and found myself back underneath our covers, Luka's warm body pressed up against mine, his hand draped over my stomach.

I kissed his fingers and lay back down; it had been a while since I'd gotten to sleep at all. I sucked in a sharp breath as a sudden pain tightened in my stomach. I pushed Luka's hand off and got out of bed, pacing, shaking my hands in front of me.

"Ow ow ow." I muttered, sucking in quick breaths.

Luka woke up and saw me pacing, seconds later he was up in front of me, "What is it Abby?"

I winced, "Contraction…Braxton Hicks."

He looked somewhat stunned and stood in silence as I waited for the pain to pass. It did eventually and I let out a shuddering breath.

"Wow that was painful." I murmured.

Luka still looked a little stunned, "What was that?"

I tried to regulate my breathing, "Oh, it's fine. We saw it all the time in maternity. It's just Braxton Hicks, nothing major."

Luka offered a weak smile, "You're sure?"

I nodded, "I can tell, it's not the real thing."

He nodded, "Ok, as long as you're sure."

I sank into my pillows and murmured sarcastically, "Wow, that made me look forward to the real thing."

Luka laughed awkwardly and I tossed his pillow at him, "Really, Luka I'm fine. You have to trust me on this one."

He nodded, "I know, it's just…stressful."

I snorted, "Wow, I can't wait to see you in a labor and delivery room."

He shrugged, "I've never been in one before."

I cocked an eyebrow, "What about with Danijela?"

He shook his head, "In Croatia we decided I wouldn't be there. Danijela thought it was a woman's job. She didn't want me in there."

I nodded, "Yeah, well you better know that I expect you to be there…the…whole…time."

He held up his hands, "You got it Abby."

I grinned, "Good, because I need someone to take my pain out on."

Luka grinned again.

"Abby, when do you want to go into the hospital?"

I glanced at the clock, it told me it was noon, "I guess now would be ok."

He nodded and proceeded to get ready, preparing himself for seeing Neela and Michael.

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As we walked up into the ICU I held Luka's hand tightly. He glanced at me,

"You sure you want to do this?"

I nodded, "I need to see Neela."

We asked for Michael's room, put on the mandatory yellow scrubs and followed a nurse down the hall. As we closed the distance I saw Neela standing outside his room, the frumpy yellow scrubs shrinking her beaten figure.

As she turned and saw us I could see the haunted glimmer of pain in her eyes. She fled towards me and I caught her in a tight hug,

"Neel? Are you ok?"

She pulled away and nodded swiftly, "I'm good, well, I'm trying to be good."

I gave a half smile, "How's Michael?"

She motioned for us to follow her and we slipped into the ICU room behind her. Michael lay still under the blue hospital sheet. Neela stepped closer.

"Michael?" she whispered, "Abby and Luka are here to see you, baby."

He shifted, turning his misty eyes towards us. Neela looked pained and apologetic at the same time, "They've got him on a lot of drugs right now. He was in a lot of pain."

She rested her hand carefully on his shoulder as he closed his eyes again.

"How's he doing?" Luka asked.

"He's ok. They found a minor infection, nothing serious. He's on a round of antibiotics to help fight it."

I stepped closer and gently brushed Neela's shoulder, "How are you?"

Instantaneously the tears reappeared, "I'm ok I guess. I mean, I know it sounds bad but in some ways…I mean, he's never going back to war. I feel like such a horrible person for thinking it but…"

I interjected, "You can't help it."

She nodded, "Still."

I rubbed her shoulder, "Well, we're here for you. Everyone else in the ER is too. Are you off work?"

She nodded, "For the next week or so. Until he's stabilized for sure."

I gave another half smile, "Ok, well we have to get going but we'll come back. Let him know we were here."

She nodded, "Thank you for coming."

"It's what friends are for."

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That night Luka and I took a walk together, around our new neighborhood. As we walked Luka began to speak,

"Are you scared?" I was puzzled until he clarified, "About the babies?"

I laughed, "Hell yes, Luka. I've never had kids. I didn't exactly plan on having kids."

He laughed with me, "But you're ok with it?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm more than ok with it. I'm happy about it. Excited? Yeah, Scared? You bet."

I touched my belly and smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

He slipped his arm around my shoulder, "I'm glad."

"How did you do with your previous kids?" I pushed gently.

He shrugged, "Ok I guess, I mean of course I made mistakes but they were great. They were really great kids."

I squeezed in closer to him, "I'm sure you'll be a great dad."

He smiled, "Thank you Abby."

"So, you've never been a delivery room, huh?"

He shook his head, "Never."

"Have you ever delivered a baby?"

"A few times, when I was first starting but that was years ago. I can't quite remember."

I gave a laugh, almost a cackle, "You're going to be fun."

He looked a little shocked, "What?"

"Ah, being a nurse in OB we saw lots of different cases. In all of them, however, one thing was the same. The husbands caught it, and they suffered…"

I let out another snicker at Luka's expression, "You wouldn't do that would to me would you?"

I laughed, "Yeah Luka, right."

He kissed the top of my head, "I trust you."

I smiled quietly tucking my head in against his shoulder.

"How're you feeling?" He asked gently.

I shrugged, "Heavy, tired…like I have two bouncy balls inside my uterus."

Luka laughed at my comparison. "It's not that bad is it?"

I nodded, "Yeah, yeah it is. I think they're beating each other up."

He bent down, "Noah, leave your sister alone." He warned.

I chuckled at his effort and pushed him away, "Let's go home. My stomach hurts and I'm tired. I need to sleep."

He nodded, changing direction and proceeding down our street.

"So what should we call BG, it's not really fair to leave her nameless."

Luka shrugged, "I don't know, is there anything you like?"

I shook my head, "Not really, although whenever I was little I called all of my baby dolls Orma…"

Luka's face contorted, he was trying to hide a look that screamed, _No way in Hell!_

I laughed, "Kidding Luka, kidding."

He let out a breath, "You know you're mean when you're pregnant."

"Get used to it." I chuckled.

We walked in silence as we made our way home, strolling slowly and waving to new neighbors as we passed.

When we arrived home Luka helped me upstairs, got changed, then we both went downstairs to watch a movie. Luka had picked it, _Hide and Seek_

I curled up next to him, covering myself with a thick blanket. I set my head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly, within twenty minutes I was asleep…but hey, that's what pregnancy does to you.

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I went into work the following evening, stopping quickly by Michael's room. He was doing alright, still very drugged and very out of it but the infection was receding.

When I made my way down to ER I got a huge surprise, Neela was down there.

"Neela? What are you doing here?" I questioned immediately.

She grinned, "I figured what better way to be close to Michael that to be here. Besides, it gives me a bit of time when he's sleeping and I can go when he needs me."

I smiled, "Good, it's good to see you back again."

I slipped away, grabbing some paperwork and settling down at a desk, it seemed like all of the cases today were contagious or dangerous to her or the babies. Hunched over, I moaned softly as my belly pushed against the table. Frank wandered by and just had to make some smart ass comment.

"Shut the hell up Frank." I spat angrily, trying to reach the desk.

Sam looked up, barely fighting back a laugh, "How're you feeling Abby?"

I shot her a deadly look, "Right now? Right now I feel like murdering someone named Frank."

She gave me a lopsided smile, "I felt that way with Alex, how long do you have left?"

I took a few minutes, "I'm twenty five weeks now so anywhere from ten to fifteen weeks."

"You're taking maternity leave?"

I shrugged, "Luka thinks I should, I think it's easier if I'm here when I go into labor anyways."

She laughed, "Whatever floats your boat."

I grinned and turned as Haleh came up behind me, "Abby? There's a little girl who just came in, she's in curtain one. She's having difficulty breathing, looks like she shoved something up her nose. I know you've had a lack of cases, you want this one?"

Struggling out of the chair I grinned, "Hell yes."

I took the file and proceeded to the small curtained room, smoothing my belly slowly as a kick shot through my bladder.

I pushed the curtain open and grinned at the little girl on the gurney. She was tiny, maybe three. She had wispy brown hair tied back in pigtails and she wore a cute overall set, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her mother sat beside her, anxiously holding her hand.

As I walked in the girl's face lit up, "Look mommy, her's having a baby!"

I grinned, "Hey there, can you tell me your name?"

She smiled, "Jorja."

I sat down on the bed next to her, "Well Jorja, how can I help you?"

She looked up at her mother who shrugged, "We got a call from daycare; we went to pick her up. They said she shoved something up her nose so we brought her here."

The mother smoothed her hand over her daughter's hair, kissing her gently.

I smiled at the kind gesture, "So Jorja are you going to tell me what's up there?"

She gave me a toothy smile, "Beads."

I suppressed a laugh, "How many beads?"

She thought a minute, "Three."

I chewed my lip. "Ok Jorja, you know what I have to do now?"

She shook her head, "I have to take those beads out."

She frowned, "But…I like beads."

I nodded, "I like beads too, but they can't go up noses ok?"

She nodded solemnly.

"Ok, good Jorja. I'm going to get my special nurse to come and help me get those beads out."

I left quickly, chuckling as I went to find Sam. I did so quickly, "Hey Sam, want to help me fish beads out of a three year old's nose?"

She looked up, "Seriously?"

I nodded, "Can you hold her?"

She nodded back, following me into Jorja's room.

"Alright Jorja, this is my special nurse Sam. She's going to hold you in her lap while your mommy sits next to you."

She nodded, hopping into Sam's lap. I took the tweezers and flashlight, looking carefully before gently wrapping the tweezers around the bead, removing it carefully. I did so with the next two, Sam holding Jorja as she squirmed, crying gently.

As I finished I set the tools down and asked Sam to let her go. As Jorja hopped down she stopped crying immediately, looking at the three beads.

"Can I keep 'em?"

I laughed, "Yes, but mommy better watch them for you."

I stuck them in a bag and handed them to her mother, wishing them well and sending them on their way.

As Sam and I finished cleaning I felt the weirdest sensation. My stomach in its entirety jerked, hard. It happened again seconds later. I paused for a moment then turned to Sam.

"Sam?" I asked gently.

She turned, "Yeah?"

I pointed at my stomach, "What is that!"

She touched my stomach carefully, waited for the jerk and smiled, "Baby Hiccups. One of your baby's is hiccupping."

I sighed in relief, "Thanks."

She grinned, "No problem."

She exited and I followed, quickly hunting down Luka. When I found him I grabbed his hand and placed it on my stomach, "Here, feel this."

I paused and he looked up at me, "What is that?"

"Baby hiccups. I asked Sam."

He laughed, "That's…that's a little weird I have to say."

I enveloped my belly, rubbing gently.

Suddenly invigorated and playful, I trailed my finger across Luka's chest, "What say you we go home…and…have...some…fun."

Luka bent over, kissing my neck, caressing the tender skin and driving me wild. "I say…yes, definitely yes."

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**TBC….**

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